Radiant Garden
by SweetHawthorn
Summary: Let's be honest - it's disappointing that there are no FF characters in KH3. I've expected at least the old gang to return along with the debuts of Lightning and Noctis (being the latest additions to the franchise). So I've made my own "DLC story" about Radiant Garden. [Mild Spoilers for KH3]


**Let's be honest - it's disappointing that there are no FF characters in KH3. I've expected at least the old gang to return along with the debuts of Lightning and Noctis (being the latest additions to the franchise). So I've made my own "DLC story" about Radiant Garden.**

The Highwind floated around idly in the vacuum amidst the stars and asteroids. Inside its cockpit, Sora, Donald and Goofy were engaged in what had almost become a ritual — bickering about their next destination.

'Sora!' Donald quacked, exasperated. 'Do we have to do this all the time?'

Sora frowned and crossed his arms. 'Hey! I don't want to wander around aimlessly any more than you do!'

'Did you heart whisper anymore hints this time?' Goofy asked.

'Nope, it's been dead silent.' Sora summoned his keyblade and waved it around to no avail.

'You must've been abusing it.' Donald said.

'Hey! That was Master Yen Sid's suggestion, not mine!' Sora argued.

'Then maybe it's time to use your head for once,' Donald rebutted.

Sora sulked as he sunk lower in his seat. The Power of Waking… where could he possibly find it? The whole concept seemed very vague to him. If only he had some clearer guidance. But not even Riku or King Mickey could give him any hints.

'Y'know, you can't keep relying on Riku,' Goofy blurted, as though he could read Sora's mind.

'How'd… Oh never mind,' Sora groaned, sinking deeper into his seat.

'It's not hard to guess,' Goofy said, 'You always go "Riku this", "Riku that".'

'No, I don't!' Sora said.

'Yes, you do!' Donald chimed in. 'Don't you have anyone else to seek advice from other than Riku?'

'Advice… Oh! Yes! Donald, you're a genius!' A lightbulb flashed in Sora's head as he jumped up from his seat.

'I… am?' Donald gaped.

Sora grabbed the steering wheel of the gummi ship. 'The people I can count on for advice are there, aren't they?' Sora cast Goofy and Donald a grin over his shoulders. 'Radiant Garden, that is.'

…

Sora, Donald and Goofy walked across the large empty courtyard. It had been a while since Sora last visited Radiant Garden and he immediately began taking in the sights, enjoying every moment of it. Radiant Garden had always felt familiar and yet magical in Sora's eyes, especially considering how much it had changed since he first landed here.

Hollow Bastion, as it was known then, was grim and overflowing with Heartlesses. It did not help that Maleficent's base of operations was there either. Afterwards, Sora's friends, Leon, Aerith, Cid and Yuffie had set out to restore Hollow Bastion to its former glory, and Radiant Garden was reborn.

'Say, shouldn't we pay Ienzo a visit and see how his research is coming along?' Donald broke the silence.

'But I thought we were gonna pay Leon and the others a visit?' Goofy said.

'Well Ienzo's been studying the heart and continuing Ansem the Wise's research,' Donald replied, 'maybe he'd found out something. Or maybe he knows something about the Power of Waking.'

'Wouldn't he have called if he did?' Goofy said. 'Wasn't the whole point of coming here to find Leon and the others?'

'Well I think Ienzo's more important,' Donald said stubbornly.

'Well I hate to disagree with ya Donald, but I really think we should go look for Leon,' Goofy replied, frowning.

'Sora!' Donald and Goofy both called out to Sora at the same time. Sora turned towards them, surprised. He had not been paying attention at all.

'Whaddya think?' Donald quacked.

'Where should we go first?' Goofy asked.

'Eh?'

Sora had barely processed Donald and Goofy's arguments when the ground shook violently.

'Woah!' As Sora turned to look around, a flash of blue light streaked past in front of his eyes, right between him Donald and Goofy.

'Watch out!' A voice called out as Sora staggered to regain his balance.

He turned around and came face to face with a gigantic, black Heartless standing on all fours with large feral claws as its front legs. The Heartless also had tiger-like fangs and a flaming mane.

In front of the Heartless, a young man with spiky black hair pummelled the Heartless in mid-air with a sword. After a few hits, the sword was replaced by a giant axe which he used to knock the giant Heartless back.

'A Heartless!' Sora, Donald and Goofy exclaimed at the same time.

'You okay?' the young man turned around.

'Yeah! But I don't think it's over yet!' Sora shouted as he saw the Heartless clenching its large claws. 'Let us handle this! Heartlesses are our jobs!' Sora summoned his Keyblade just as Donald and Goofy summoned their staff and shield.

'That…' the young man's eyes widened a little at the sight of Sora's Keyblade but turned his attention back onto the battlefield. 'I suppose we can work together for this one.' With a wave of his hand, an array of phantom weapons circled the young man for a brief moment before a trident materialised in his hand.

'Wow…' Sora could not resist staring.

'Heads up,' the young man cautioned him, 'here it comes.'

The Heartless let out a mighty feral roar.

…

'Wew, that was one tough Heartless,' Donald wiped a sweat off his forehead.

'There's been more and more of those appearing recently,' the young man said.

'That was WAY COOL!' Sora shrieked out of the blue, causing the other three to take a step back. 'How'd you do that!? That teleporting thing? And then those weapons? How many of them are there? How'd you get them to circle around you like that?'

'Woah, easy Sora!' Goofy said, gently pulling Sora back.

'Oh right!' Sora suddenly remembered. 'We don't know each other yet. My name's Sora! And this is Donald and Goofy.' He gestured towards his friends.

'You're the keyblade wielder, aren't you?' the young man said. 'My name's Noctis. Leon mentioned you before.'

'Wha- You know Leon!?' Sora exclaimed.

'Yeah, we've been fighting Heartlesses together,' Noctis replied.

'How have I not seen you around here before?' Sora asked.

'I'm pretty new here,' Noctis explained. 'Arrived here only to find this world swarming with Heartlesses. Aerith speculated that the Heartless swarms had caused this world's balance to become unstable and that's how people like me somehow ended up here.'

'So you were stranded here?' Goofy asked.

'Well, stranded isn't exactly the right word,' Noctis said. 'I can go back anytime I want, but I chose to stay. I figured leaving the Heartlesses as they are might just cause the same thing to happen again.'

'Well in that case, let us help!' Sora jumped excitedly. 'Always happy to help out Leon and the others. Besides, that's what Keyblade wielders are for!'

'And there he goes again…' Donald murmured, shaking his head.

'Thanks,' Noctis said. 'Let's first regroup with Leon and the others. We can let them know you're here.'

…

The last of the colossal bird-like Heartless let out a huge shriek before disappearing in black mist. Sora bent over and clutched his knees, panting, just as the last of the black mist evaporated.

'Wew,' Sora panted, 'those Heartlesses… sure are stronger than any we've seen before in other worlds.'

'I wonder what's causing them to appear,' Goofy said, leaning against a nearby wall.

'D'you think it might be Organization XIII again?' Donald asked, a frown formed on his white forehead.

'Organization XIII?' Noctis asked. 'What are they?'

'They're nothing but trouble!' Donald explained vehemently, flailing his short arms about. 'They can control Heartlesses and Nobodies, and they meddle in the affairs of other worlds!'

'And they wear these shady-looking black coats,' Goofy added.

'Black coats?' Noctis said. 'Those black hooded ones?'

'Yeah! Have you seen them?' Sora asked, standing upright.

'We all have,' Noctis said. 'We don't know if it's one person or more, but they first appeared a couple of days ago. We've been trying to track them down ever since.'

'They must be the reason Radiant Garden's been infested with Heartlesses!' Sora exclaimed.

'We need to find them, fast!' Donald said, 'There's no way we can last long fighting an insane number of large Heartlesses like that.'

'We'd better hurry to the Borough and meet up with the rest,' Noctis said, 'we may be able to come up with something to lure them out.'

'Leave that to Sora,' Goofy chuckled, 'he has a knack for that.'

'Hey!' Sora protested.

'He is right, you know,' a mysterious voice sounded behind Sora.

Sora spun around to find a black hooded figure stepping out of a dark portal, the same ones the Organization always use to travel from place to place.

'Speak of the devil,' Noctis promptly switched to a fighting stance.

'Now who the heck are you!?' Sora demanded.

'That is no concern of yours,' the hooded figure said from atop the high ledge, far from Sora's immediate reach. 'What concerns me, however, is that you always seem to meddle in our affairs.'

'Speak for yourself!' Sora spat, 'you lot are the ones who always appear before me, spouting weird nonsense and meddling in the affairs of other worlds.'

'Heh, do not liken me to some other… uh, more obnoxious members of the Organization,' the hooded figure said, 'But as the saying goes, we have to strike while the iron is hot. So say, why not have more Heartlesses to battle while you're tired out?'

The Organization member raised one hand, covered in wisps of darkness. But before he could conjure up another swarm of Heartlesses, Noctis had thrown a dagger in his direction, knocking the figure backwards as he reappeared right in front of him, following his blade. The man's hood was knocked off, revealing a blue haired man with an X-shaped scar across his face.

'Saix!' Sora exclaimed as he rushed after Noctis, running up the wall towards the ledge where Saix and Noctis now locked weapons.

'Tch,' Saix clicked his tongue. He pushed Noctis back and entered another dark portal just as Sora smashed his Keyblade onto the spot where he stood seconds before.

In his place, a large bipedal Heartless clad in armor appeared. The Heartless wielded a large axe which he spared no time in swinging at Sora and Noctis. Both ducked in the nick of time.

'Not again!' Sora groaned.

'Can't believe this,' Donald said, reluctantly summoning his staff.

'Need some help?' an unfamiliar voice called out. A female one this time.

'Lightning!' Noctis called out to the pink haired lady who had just appeared. She was tall, lean and wore a military-like outfit with a long red cape.

'Friends of yours, Noct?' Lightning asked as her gun morphed into a sword.

'Eh, we just met,' Noctis replied, conjuring up a katana. 'But they're Leon's friends.'

The Heartless let out an eerie shriek before taking another swing with its axe.

'Uh guys, let's save the intros for later okay?' Sora stammered. 'We need to take care of this big guy.' He ran ahead towards the Heartless, but stopped halfway. 'The name's Sora!' he called out over his shoulder.

'We're on it, Sora,' Lightning said as she too darted towards the armored giant. She weaved in between its trunk-sized legs with ease and slashed at them multiple times, prompting the large giant to come crashing on its knees. Noctis followed Lightning's attack with a warp strike to the head with his katana before switching to a mace to crack the armor on its chest. Sora rushed forward and struck the giant multiple times where the crack was to further destroy it.

'Donald!' Sora called out, 'a little help!'

'Thundaga!' Donald chanted and a bolt of lightning struck the giant, blasting one area of the giant's armor off.

The move, however, angered the giant and he swung his axe more ferociously than before.

'I think we made it mad,' Goofy remarked as he blocked off the swings with his shield. The giant, however, was way too strong and this took a toll on Goofy. Goofy collapsed onto one knee as he tried his hardest to keep blocking the attacks.

Lightning charged forward and swung her gunblade at the creature's arm, just in time before Goofy's arm gave in and slipped, dropping his shield onto the ground. The giant's incessant hammering stopped as it turned to target Lightning instead. The creature swung its axe at Lightning, but she was too fast for it. It then turned its attention to the next best thing — Donald, standing close by firing spell after spell.

The giant Heartless slammed its empty fist onto the ground, creating a quake that threw the duck off balance. It then ran towards Donald at a speed unfathomable for its size and swung its axe at Donald who lay on the ground, defenceless.

Donald quacked and covered his face with his hands just as Noctis launched a warp strike at the giant's arm with a blade, causing it to stop in its tracks.

'Donald, run!' Noctis grunted as he blocked off the giant's savage attacks.

Donald needed no telling twice and scuttled off just as Noctis dodged his way out of the giant's crashing axe.

'Sora do you think you can damage the opening in the armor?' Lightning asked. 'I can try making it collapse on its knees again and Noctis can distract it at its head.'

'Got it! Leave it to me!' Sora said through gritted teeth.

'But Sora, it's kinda high up, don't you think?' Donald said.

'I got an idea,' Sora said. 'Donald, launch me and Goofy high up with Aeroga, then Goofy, you can smash me into the opening, just like our usual team attack, but reversed.'

'That might work,' Goofy lit up.

'This'll be our last shot,' Sora said, mentally noting how exhausted and injured both Donald and Goofy were.

'Sora, now!' Lightning shouted as the giant crashed onto the ground on its knees.

Sora nodded and Donald shouted, 'Aeroga!' A gust of wind launched both Sora and Goofy into the air. Goofy grabbed Sora's hand and spun him round, building momentum, before launching Sora like a cannonball, straight at the cracked armor on the giant's chest.

…

Sora's eyes fluttered open. Things looked rather hazy at first, but as his vision came into focus, he recognized a large number of people gathering around him.

'Seems like you overexerted yourself, Sora,' Aerith smiled at him, looking relieved.

'That's our hero for ya!' Yuffie giggled.

'Really, you had us all worried there,' Tifa said.

'Guys…' Sora croaked. 'What… happened?' He looked around and found himself in a cozy bedroom lit with warm candles.

'Well you knocked that giant Heartless out,' Noctis replied, 'But you got knocked out too in the process.'

'Sorry, I shouldn't have asked you to go through with that plan,' Lightning apologized.

'Aww nah, it's not your fault, Lightning,' Sora said, but his eyes lit up. 'We managed to take down that Heartless, though!? That was awesome!'

'Really, Sora?' Leon shook his head, 'You had us worried there and all you're concerned about is taking down that giant Heartless? You should take care of yourself more.'

'What good is a hero when ya can't fight?' Cid grunted.

'Where're Donald and Goofy?'

'They're fine,' Cloud replied gestured towards the opposite corner of the room where Donald and Goofy snored soundly atop a cozy bed. 'They're just exhausted.'

'You should get some rest too,' Aerith suggested. 'We can catch up after.'

'But the Heartlesses…' Sora protested, fighting to stifle a yawn.

'We'll handle them,' Leon said, patting Sora on the shoulder before walking towards the exit, 'Don't worry about it.'

'See you, Sora,' One by one the members of the committee left the room and another wave of sleepiness hit Sora. By seconds, he was fast asleep.

…

Sora woke up after a nap that seemed to span ages. He stretched his arms above his head. It had been a while since he last had such a plentiful rest and he savored every moment of it.

'Hiya Sora! Good morning!' Goofy greeted him.

'Morning Goofy,' Sora replied with a suppressed yawn.

'It's hardly morning, though,' Donald chimed in. 'But oh boy, it feels good to be able to rest like that.'

The trio walked out of the bedroom to find only Cid and Aerith in the Headquarters.

'Hey Sora,' Aerith said, 'had a good rest?'

'Best I've had in ages,' Sora replied with a grin.

'Have some lunch,' Aerith said leading him to the dining table where a hearty meal awaited him. 'Goofy and Donald already ate while you were still sleeping. So feel free to finish it up.'

Sora did not hesitate to gobble down his food. It was only after his plate was half empty that he spoke up, 'where're the others?'

Cid, who had been sitting in front of a screen the whole time, turned around. 'There's been another invasion up at the castle. That Ienzo guy called. Sounded pretty major. So they went to check it out.'

'Ienzo!?' Sora exclaimed. 'Oh right! We were supposed to look for him too. I wanna go and help!'

'Finish your meal first, kid,' Cid said. 'Don't you worry about the others. They're plenty strong.'

'We can go after you finish eating,' Aerith concurred.

'We? It's okay really!' Sora said. 'We can take care of ourselves. You don't have to.'

'What? You don't think I can handle the Heartlesses?' Aerith chided him, playfully crossing her arms.

'Heh, don't you underestimate the lady, kid,' Cid chuckled. 'She was there when you last fought the Thousand Heartless Battle, remember?'

'Well... yeah,' Sora admitted.

'Old man Cid has spoken. Don't worry about me,' Aerith said smiling.

Out of a sudden, sirens started blaring out of Cid's computer. Aerith rushed to his side and stared at the screen.

'What... happened?' Sora asked.

'The security at the castle's been breached,' Cid replied with a massive frown on his face. He mashed his keyboard, pulling out what appeared to be camera footages of the castle gate. Sora could see images of giant Heartlesses swarming the gate to the castle whilst Aeleus and Dilan fought hard to keep them away.

'Oh no!' Sora leapt off his seat. 'We gotta go help. It doesn't look good.'

'Stay on the lookout Cid!' Aerith called out to him as she rushed towards the door behind Sora.

...

Sora, Donald, Goofy and Aerith had barely made it to the town centre when they were ambushed by Heartlesses. Fortunately, these were not nearly as big as those Sora had fought before with Noctis, but pests nevertheless.

He charged ahead to clear a path whilst occasionally throwing worried glances at Aerith, but his fears were unfounded. Aerith swung her metal staff with grace at an impending Soldier Heartless before blasting off another with a well-timed fire spell.

'Sora, let's just push our way through,' Aerith suggested, 'we don't have the time to take care of this many Heartlesses. The townsfolk should be safe inside their homes for now.'

'Got it!' Sora replied, swinging his Keyblade at another Heartless blocking their path to the castle.

...

'Why the castle though?' Sora asked as they neared the castle courtyard. The enemies that appeared seemed stronger the closer they got to their destination and it took a substantially greater amount of effort to simply clear a path. 'If they want hearts, the town should be a more logical spot.'

'I don't know...' Aerith responded as she cast frozen ice shards at the enemy. 'We speculated that It has something to do with Ansem the Wise's research. Maybe the Organization's after something there.'

'Why can't they just give up on Ansem already?' Donald grunted before casting a thunder spell on a nearby Heartless.

'Aerith!' A voice called out.

'Cloud!' Aerith exclaimed as Cloud jumped off a roof to the alley they were at, smiting Heartlesses in the process. 'What's going on? Are you okay?'

'I'm fine, but the Heartlesses are getting out of control.' Cloud replied. 'No matter how many we defeat they just kept coming. And that black hooded guy's here too.'

'Saix!' Sora exclaimed. 'He's the one we need to target. We finish him, we finish all the Heartlesses.'

'Easier said than done,' Cloud shook his head, 'he's very elusive.'

Sora gritted his teeth. Had it been another member of the Organization, things might have been different. But Saix... he's cold and calculating, not one to be easily taunted or fooled.

'Grahhhhh, he's gonna pay for this!' Sora shouted as he rushed ahead, leaving Cloud and Aerith in the dust.

...

'How nice of you to pay a visit, Saix,' Ienzo said in a sarcastic tone as the dark figure entered his laboratory.

'Well it has been a while, Zexion,' Saix replied, 'or what was that other name you go by, nowadays?'

Ienzo ignored his snide question. 'So, is Xehanort still not over Ansem's research?'

'Oh that's only part of the reason why I'm here,' Saix said, 'it's bonus merit for me, sure, but not what I'm really after.'

'Interesting…' Ienzo remarked, his eyes narrowing.

'So tell me, Ansem's apprentice,' Saix continued in a mocking tone. 'This world once lost its heart, and yet managed to regain it. How?'

'Are you referring to Hollow Bastion?' Ienzo asked, feigning ignorance.

'How do worlds gain hearts?' Saix prodded on, ignoring Ienzo's question. 'A world's heart is worth much more than a human's. If our end goal is Kingdom Hearts, then why not harvest worlds' hearts instead? And if the worlds are able to regrow them, then we should have a never ending supply, won't we?' Saix continued.

Ienzo remained silent and stared at Saix.

'Unfortunate really, that you should refuse to help me,' Saix said, 'we were after all, allies once.'

'Yeah? Never thought you saw me as an ally,' Ienzo said, sardonically.

'I'll ask this only once,' Saix said, more forceful than before, 'Where is the key to this world's heart?'

'You're asking the wrong guy,' Ienzo replied. 'Then again, even if you do find it, how do you propose to unlock it?'

'Then you are useless to me,' Saix said as he charged forward, summoning his giant claymore. The claymore struck Ienzo right through his chest. Ienzo, however, quickly dispersed into wisp. Saix's eyes widened.

'Surpised?' a familiar voice caught Saix off guard.

Axel swung his chakrams at Saix, barely missing his head as Saix avoided them in the nick of time. Saix leapt back and stared hard at Axel who playfully swung his dual chakrams around.

'What's the matter?' Axel taunted. 'Not willing to fight an old friend?'

'Zexion…' Saix hissed, noting the markings under Axel's eyes that the real Axel no longer sported.

'You didn't think I'd face you unprepared now, would you?' "Axel" continued. 'Especially considering how you intended to dispose of me the last time.'

'Why don't you show yourself!?' Saix hollered, swinging his claymore.

'Oh but I'm right here,' Ienzo said from the corner of the room, carrying a large book that was his weapon. But as soon as Saix charged towards him, Ienzo disappeared again.

'You opponent's here, Saix!' "Axel" mocked, again taking aim at Saix's head.

Saix blocked off "Axel's" attacks, but he was taken by yet another surprise when Dilan and Aeleus charged into the room.

'Saix!' Both called out at the same time and readied their weapons.

Saix clicked his tongue and escaped into a dark portal. Three ex-members of the Organization were more than he cared to trifle with.

'You all right, Ienzo?' Dilan asked as "Axel" faded away.

'Yeah,' Ienzo reappeared beside the computer. 'How're things outside?'

'The Heartlesses that attacked were way stronger than what we're used to dealing with,' Aeleus replied. 'But now that Saix has withdrawn, I don't see why they should remain.'

'Oh, and also, the Keyblade wielder's here,' Dilan added.

'Sora?' Ienzo said. 'Perfect timing.'

…

'Saix is after this world's heart!?' Sora, Donald and Goofy shouted at the same time once Ienzo had told them of his encounter with Saix.

The Committee, along with Sora, Donald Goofy, Ienzo, Aeleus and Dilan, were all seated inside a large room in the castle, discussing the events that had just transpired.

'But it was a mistake!' Aerith said. 'Radiant Garden has never lost its heart. It was simply locked away when it became Hollow Bastion.'

'I know,' Ienzo said, 'Saix misunderstood that. But I don't think the knowledge that there is no ever growing source of heart to harvest is going to change his plans.'

'Why not?' Sora asked.

'Think about it, he has summoned a sizeable number of Heartlesses,' Ienzo explained. 'That is not normal. Knowing Saix, he's gotta have a plan B and I think that the Heartlesses are his plan B.'

'You mean he intends to use the Heartlesses to devour this world?' Lightning asked.

'Possibly,' Ienzo nodded.

'That's just insane!' Donald quacked. 'That's just... brute force. Like forcing your way into other people's house!'

'He's retreated for now,' Aeleus said, 'but that only makes him more dangerous. He will, most probably, return with even more Heartlesses, or stronger ones.'

'Or maybe both,' Goofy added, a slight shiver in his voice.

'We need to get ready,' Leon said, standing up. 'Training, supplies, everything that might help us.'

'Sora definitely needs more training,' Donald said, 'we can't have him fainting again.'

'Hey!' Sora protested, 'that's not fair! We were exhausted then.'

'Yet none of us fainted!' Donald rebutted with his hands on his hips. 'Plus you're not quite nearly back at full power yet.'

'You know Sora,' Leon interjected their argument, 'why don't you train with us. We may be able to teach you a thing or two.'

'Really!?' Sora leapt off his seat with his eyes beaming. 'You'd do that?'

'Sure,' Leon replied.

'Thank you Leon!' Sora almost shouted as he grabbed Leon's hand and shook it wildly. 'You're the best!'

Leon was taken by surprise by Sora's enthusiasm. 'Well… Meet me at the courtyard when you're ready,' he said as he made his way through the door. One by one, the other members of the Committee followed suit.

'So Ienzo,' Sora said when it was just the trio, Ienzo, Aeleus and Dilan left in the room. 'Have you found out anything else about the Organization? Or about Roxas?'

'Ah yes, I do have some good news about Roxas,' Ienzo said. 'Even, or Vexen as you know him, has helped us obtain an invaluable replica. With some refining, we may be able to perfect it and possibly transfer Roxas's heart over.'

'Really!?' Sora exclaimed. 'So Roxas can become real!?'

'If things go as planned, yes,' Ienzo replied. 'But we have reasons to be optimistic. After all, Master Ansem himself is helping us.'

'Ansem!? Ansem the Wise!?' Sora, Donald and Goofy shrieked at the same time.

'Where is he now!?' Sora asked, glancing around the room, as though he expected Ansem to show up at anytime.

'He leaves from time to time, to go to the Realm of Darkness,' Ienzo replied. 'Ever since I told him about the possibility that Ventus might be sleeping in your heart, he has been visiting the Realm on a regular basis to help search for the missing Keyblade Master. He, like the King, believes that she is the key to finding Ventus.'

'So he's been helping the King look for Aqua!' Donald shouted.

'Maybe it's for the best that he's not involved in this trifle with Saix,' Dilan remarked.

Sora nodded, 'yeah, who knows what the Organization is going to try and do to him if they find out he's here.'

'We'll update you on any improvements to the research, Sora,' Ienzo said, 'But for now, please take care of Saix.'

'Oh that's right!' Sora said, 'I almost forgot. I wanted to ask you. In all your research about hearts, have you ever heard of "the Power of Waking"?'

'I have, but only very vaguely,' Ienzo replied. 'The power to wake sleeping hearts.'

'Do you know how I can get it?' Sora asked, hopefully.

'I'm sorry, Sora,' Ienzo shook his head. 'Unfortunately, I can't. It's not a power that anyone can freely wield, making it difficult to research.'

Sora looked downcast.

'That sounds like something up Master Yen Sid's alley though,' Ienzo said in a concerned tone. 'Maybe you should ask him.'

'Nah, he's the one who told me to find it,' Sora replied.

'Oh...' Ienzo said.

'That's okay!' Sora prepped himself back up. 'I'll just ask the others.' He ran up towards the door and rushed out of the room.

...

Sora found Leon at the courtyard in front of the castle gates, swinging his gunblade. Sora stood in awe, watching as Leon practiced his moves. The gunblade occasionally glowed as Leon attacked imaginary fiends and dodged their invisible attacks. He then raised his gunblade and aimed it towards the sky, creating a pillar of light which he brought down to the ground in front of him, creating a massive shockwave.

'Wow,' Sora was stunned.

'Sora,' Leon said, 'You should've said something.' He walked over towards Sora.

'That last move, that was awesome!' Sora exclaimed.

'It's called Blasting Zone,' Leon said. 'I suppose I can teach you that.'

'You will!? Yes! Thank you!' Sora jumped in excitement and pulled out his Keyblade.

…

'I think you've gotten the hang of it,' Leon said as Sora brought down his pillar of light. 'It's useful for clearing an area in front of you or to even reach an enemy that's a little too far out.'

'Yeah, thanks Leon!' Sora thanked him, 'I couldn't have done it without you.'

'So are you more confident now?' Leon asked.

'Yeah-' Sora stopped midway through his bold proclamation. Leon looked at him, puzzled. 'Leon…' Sora said, 'you wouldn't happen to know anything about the Power of Waking, do you?'

'The Power of Waking?' Leon asked, a frown etched onto his forehead. 'Unfortunately I don't, Sora. What is it?'

'It's the power to wake sleeping hearts,' Sora said, his shoulders slumped. 'According to Master Yen Sid, it's a power I lost. I might feel more confident if I could find it before the big fight, especially considering how powerful these Heartlesses are.'

'You'll find it,' Leon assured him. 'Sora, I've watched you fight for so long. You were able to make it this far without that Power of Waking, what's stopping you from going further?'

'Yeah,' Sora said, nodding. 'I suppose so…'

'You'll find it in time,' Leon said. 'I'm sure of it.'

'Thanks again, Leon,' Sora said.

'Now go to the fountain court,' Leon urged him. 'Noctis's waiting there. Good luck.'

…

Sora glanced around the empty fountain court. It was quiet and there did not seem to be a soul in sight, not even a Heartless.

_Maybe he's not here yet_, Sora thought as he walked across the serene area. It was then that he spotted Noctis, slumped over on a bench at one corner of the large courtyard.

'Noctis!' Sora rushed over to him. 'Noctis! Are you okay?'

Noctis stirred awake. He clutched his head and said, 'Sora? Sorry, I must've dozed off…'

'You gave me a shock there,' Sora breathed a sigh of relief. 'I thought the Organization got you.'

'Nah, on the contrary it's too peaceful,' Noctis replied whilst stretching his back. 'The calm before the storm.'

Sora nodded and clenched his fists with determination, 'Right! We don't have time to lose. Shall we begin training?'

'Yeah,' Noctis replied, standing up, 'when we first met, you asked me about the move I was using. The one with all my weapons circling me, right? It's called Armiger. I can teach you that.'

'Really!?' Sora's eyes sparkled.

'Of course,' Noctis said as he made the phantoms of his weapons appear, drawing out a sword in the process. 'Let's begin.'

…

'You're doing really well, Sora,' Noctis commended Sora as phantom Keyblades circled him. 'When you've fully mastered it, you can attack with all of them at once. For starters, two or three weapons at one go is good enough.'

'Thanks, Noctis!' Sora said, a grin plastered on his face as he made the Keyblades move without touching them.

'Just "Noct" is fine,' Noctis said smiling back, amused by Sora's nearly uncontrollable excitement.

'Wait til Donald and Goofy see everything that I've learnt!' Sora said. 'Oh and Riku's bound to be impressed too.'

Noctis chuckled. 'Yeah, they will.'

'To be honest, Noct,' Sora said, 'I was so worried that my lost powers are gonna be a hindrance in the upcoming battle. I mean, if it weren't for you and Lightning, we would probably be done for. You know, that fight when we first arrived… But with what you and Leon have taught me, plus what I can learn from Lightning and Cloud later… I think I can do this.'

'Sora,' Noctis said, 'it's okay to lean on your friends, you know? On Donald, on Goofy… on us. You won't be a hindrance. That's what friends are for.'

'Heh, Donald always said that I can't do anything without them,' Sora chuckled.

Noctis smiled. 'I have friends too, back home, that I rely on all the time. I'd probably not say this in front of them, cause that's too awkward, but without them, I'm just hopeless. One protects me like an older brother, even though he can be tough on the training. Another cooks and plans for the whole gang. And one more… he keeps me sane, keeps me laughing.'

'They sound wonderful,' Sora said with a smile. He was reminded of Riku; how he always led the way, challenging him to do better. And of Kairi, who reminded him that no matter what happened, she would always be there, waiting — a safe place for him to fall back upon.

'Yeah, they are,' Noctis said, 'But even here, even without them, I still have to rely on Leon, Cloud, Aerith and all the rest too. I guess wherever we go, we just can't stand on our own.'

'Thanks, Noct,' Sora said, 'I appreciate it, really.' He felt warmth in his chest, assured that even though he might still be weak, there were others to help him pull through.

Noctis placed one hand on Sora's shoulder. 'Walk tall, Sora,'

…

Cloud stood at the centre of the Great Maw, his eyes transfixed on the crumbling spires of Villain's Vale. The lone figure in the wide expanse.

'Cloud,' Sora called out.

'Sora,' Cloud acknowledged his presence but returned his gaze to the broken castle.

'Being here reminds me,' Sora said, 'Did you manage to find Sephiroth?' He recalled his last encounter with Cloud's silver-haired nemesis at Villain's Vale a while back. Sephiroth was leagues above him in terms of combat skills and despite seemingly gaining the upper hand in battle, Sephiroth merely dusted off his coat after his battle with Sora.

'I did,' Cloud replied. 'There'll be no end to our battles. We will continue to fight each other, just as the light has to continually fight back against the darkness.'

'So what brings you back here?' Sora asked.

'Family, I suppose…' Cloud answered. 'I can't just keep fighting him for the sake of fighting. I need a reason to fight.'

'You've really changed since we first met, huh?' Sora said, grinning. 'But I'm happy for you, Cloud.'

'I guess… but you too, you've definitely improved,' Cloud said, turning towards Sora.

Sora shook his head. 'I've taken a step backwards. That's why I need you guys to help me get back on track.'

'You'll be fine,' Cloud assured him.

'Say Cloud,' Sora said, 'Can you teach me that move you always use? Omnislash was it?'

'Of course,' Cloud unsheathed his sword and spun it around. 'Get ready, Sora.'

…

'Sora,' Cloud called out as Sora ran back towards the town to meet Lightning. 'Remember. Don't lose sight of the light.'

Sora turned back and grinned. 'I'll always remember that, Cloud.' he said before sprinting towards the town.

Cloud watched on as Sora disappeared into the distance. 'You'll be fine,' he whispered. 'You're not alone.'

…

'It looks bad, doesn't it?' Sora overheard Lightning saying as he entered the town square. She appeared to be engaged in a serious discussion with Aerith and Cid, frowns adorning their faces.

'What's wrong?' Sora asked as he approached them.

'The sky,' Aerith said. 'There is a large black hole swirling in the skies above the castle. It's getting bigger by the minute.'

'What!?' Sora nearly jumped. 'Do you think it's starting?'

'Yeah, very soon,' Cid said. 'We have every reason to believe that Saix is after the castle. So we'd better make haste and stand by there.'

'Cid, it's better if you stay behind though,' Lightning suggested. 'We don't know for sure if the town's gonna be absolutely safe from Heartlesses. Let us handle the castle.'

'Okay,' Cid nodded. 'I'll get Yuffie to stay behind too, just in case.' Lightning nodded and Cid ran off to find Yuffie.

'I'll go get Tifa,' Aerith said, before turning towards the Headquarters, 'We'll guard the entrance to the town from the vale.'

As Cid and Aerith rushed off, Sora turned to face Lightning. 'Does this mean we can't continue with the training?' he asked, trying his best to conceal his disappointment.

'Yeah, I'm afraid so,' Lightning replied.

Sora slumped his shoulders in disappointment.

'Here,' Lightning took his hand and placed a pink crystal rose in his palm. 'This'll help you instead. It's an eidolith. It lets you summon Odin.'

'Odin?' Sora asked as he scrutinized the crystal.

'Odin is my guardian,' Lightning explained. 'You can always count on him to support you.'

'Wha- Is that okay?' Sora asked.

Lightning gave a small smile. 'Yeah, don't worry about it. I can always summon him anytime.' She placed one hand on her chest. 'The crystal allows you to do the same.'

'Thanks, Lightning,' Sora said, admiring the crystal.

'You remind me of someone,' Lightning continued. 'A pure, innocent soul fighting against darkness… Caught up in events larger than himself.'

'A friend of yours?' Sora asked, intrigued.

'Yeah,' Lightning said, 'an important one.'

'He's… a lucky friend,' Sora grinned.

'Come, we must hurry now,' Lightning said. 'The darkness is spreading.'

…

A gust of wind blew ferociously as Sora reached the castle courtyard. Sora raised his arms in an effort to block the wind. Lightning did the same beside him. Leon and Cloud stood closer to the centre of the vortex, their gunblade and sword pierced into the ground to keep them from flying. And Noctis wielded a large shield, protecting Donald and Goofy from the wind. The black spiral in the sky had covered the whole area by now. And Saix stood at the centre of it, calm as ever.

'Saix!' Sora shouted, trying to make himself heard above the sound of the crashing winds. 'Stop this! This world has never lost its heart! You can't just harvest its heart and expect it to grow back! And you can't unlock it! Not without a Keyblade!'

'I suppose so,' Saix said, indifferent.

'What!?' Sora was taken aback.

'I've done my digging after speaking with Zexion,' Saix continued. 'But since I've come this far, it would be a shame not to take its one and only heart. After all, this is Radiant Garden we're talking about. The solution is so simple that it'll be such a shame to let it go to waste.'

'What do you mean!?' Sora hollered.

'This world has a troubled past,' Saix explained in a drawling voice. 'Maleficent's base of operations… the Thousand Heartless Battle… There's too much darkness overflowing in this world.'

'So that's how you summoned all those Heartlesses!' Sora exclaimed. 'You took advantage of that!'

'You can die in peace now that you know,' Saix said with a smile. 'Behold my ultimate creation!'

The relentless wind stopped for a second before blasting a stronger gust that knocked the gang off their feet. Sora clambered onto his knees just as a dark, dragon-like figure descended from the vortex.

'Bahamut…?' Lightning whispered.

'That's… a Heartless,' Sora said, noticing the emblem on the dragon's head.

'Have fun,' Saix said before retreating to a dark portal.

'This is no fun at all!' Donald panicked as the dragon Heartless gave a ferocious roar.

'We can do this!' Sora shouted, jumping onto his feet. 'As long as we work together, we can do this! You guys taught me that!'

'Of course,' Noctis smiled and gave a thumbs up. 'This thing won't even know what hit it.'

'Your ego amazes me,' Leon remarked.

'I hear that quite often,' Noctis shrugged.

'But honestly, I do think we have a decent chance,' Lightning readied her gunblade.

'After Sephiroth, how bad could it be?' Cloud said.

'Whatever,' Leon replied.

The four of them turned and charged forward towards the dragon Heartless. Sora turned towards Donald and Goofy who gave him nervous looks.

'C'mon guys,' Sora said to them. 'Another day, another job!'

They looked at each other before turning back to Sora, giving him a firm nod. They might be frowning, but the looks in their eyes were that of determination. Donald and Goofy had never disappointed Sora, and he knew that even now, they were going to give it their all.

'No backing down now,' Sora gritted his teeth as he leapt into the air, striking the Heartless at its head. The dragon snapped its large strong jaws at Sora which he dodged. Angered, it flapped its wings and blew Sora away.

A hand gripped Sora's wrist and teleported him back onto the ground. Noctis knelt beside Sora with a dagger in his hand.

'Take care not to be blown away,' Noctis cautioned him before returning into the fray.

'Thundaga!' Donald shouted. Electric bolts struck the dragon's wings, forcing it to stop its incessant wind attacks.

Taking advantage of this, both Leon and Cloud leapt into the air and pierced their swords down into the dragon's wings, pinning it down.

The dragon let out a raging roar and began charging an orb of blinding blue light in its mouth.

Lightning sped towards it and aimed for its head. But before her gunblade could find its target, the dragon had unleashed its attack, knocking Lightning back.

'Lightning!' Sora called out as he rushed to her side.

Lightning clambered to her knees with the help of her gunblade. 'I'm fine,' she grunted. 'It didn't manage to charge it fully.'

'But you're still hurt,' Sora insisted.

'I can still fight,' Lightning said, picking herself back up. 'Focus, Sora.'

Sora nodded firmly. He turned his attention back to the dragon who managed to break free of Leon and Cloud's swords. It flew in manic rage across the entire area, swiping and smiting anyone within sight with its razor sharp claws and powerful wings. One such attack even grazed Sora on his left cheek.

'Sora!' Leon called out, running to the opposite end of the area from where Sora was. 'Blasting Zone, together.'

'Okay!' Sora gritted his teeth, wiped his bloodied cheek and raised his Keyblade to the sky.

'Now!' Leon gave the cue and the beam of light crashed down upon the dragon at the centre of the arena, stopping its wild rampage.

And yet still, that was not enough to incapacitate it. The dragon turned towards Sora and dashed towards him with its claws outstretched. Sora winced as the claws stopped barely a feet in front of his face, stopped only by phantom Keyblades.

He pushed back the dragon with Armiger, the Keyblades that circled him gave him additional strikes as he repeatedly bashed the dragon, driving it backwards. The dragon howled and lashed its strong spiky tail about in retaliation, sweeping the courtyard.

Sora failed to dodge one of its tails sweeps and got sent flying across the courtyard. He groaned as he picked himself up. The dragon's power was unlike any Heartless he had ever seen. A couple of knocks from that tail would've been enough to take him out.

'Sora, call Odin,' Lightning shouted as she leapt over another tail swipe.

Sora took out the pink crystal rose from his pocket. The crystal glowed bright pink, and as he clutched it tighter, it released a blinding white light.

A knight clad in white armor descended from the sky. His face was mask-like and he had large horns on his helmet and a flowing white cape. In his hands, Odin wielded a large shield and an S-shaped blade.

'So that's Odin…' Sora looked on in awe, immediately forgetting his injuries.

'Sora, now's not the time,' Goofy reminded him as he blocked another swipe from the dragon with his shield.

'Oh right,' Sora turned towards the dragon and pointed at it. 'Get that dragon, Odin!'

'Sora… you don't really have to…' Lightning said as Odin charged forward with his blades spinning.

The dragon roared as Odin's blades struck it. It flapped its wings hard in an attempt to escape but was once again pinned down by Leon, Cloud and Noctis.

'Odin, now!' Lightning called out and Odin transformed into an armored horse right in front of Sora's eyes.

'Woah…' Again, Sora was dumbstruck. None of his previous summons could do that.

'Sora, ride!' Lightning instructed.

Sora leapt on the horse and wielded Odin's S-shaped blades. The horse galloped forward towards the struggling Heartless onto which Sora unleashed Cloud's Omnislash upon it.

He swung the blade again and again, back and forth at the downed Heartless. He then took out his Keyblade for the final cut. His Keyblade glowed bright before he discharged the final blow upon the dragon's head, right where its Heartless emblem was. As Sora's Keyblade struck it, the dragon finally shattered into a million crystalline shards, floating in mid air.

As soon as the dragon had been subdued, the sky cleared up. The vortex disappeared and sunlight shone through, causing the black shards to dissipate into glimmering light.

'That's… beautiful…' Sora remarked as a soft breeze blew through the air. Odin had disappeared in a flurry of rose petals and the zephyr carried the petals with it, creating a remarkable sight.

Without warning, Sora crashed onto the ground.

'Sora!' His friends all rushed towards him, with worried looks upon their faces.

'I'm fine!' Sora said, grinning as he lay face up on the stone floor of the courtyard. 'But I'm exhausted and the scenery's just too beautiful to miss. So why not savour it?'

'Heh, you got us there,' Cloud smirked.

'But… he's right,' Noctis said as he too lay down beside Sora with his hands behind his head. 'I could use a nap right now.'

'I wouldn't normally agree to sleeping out in the open, but this is an exception.' Donald remarked, setting himself down beside Sora and Noctis, followed by Goofy right next to him.

'A-Hyuk,' Goofy concurred.

One by one, Cloud, Leon and finally Lightning followed suit and lay on their backs, savoring the beauty of the glistening sky, the soft petal-filled breeze and the simple joy of resting their aching bodies.

…

Saix stood atop the roof of the castle, watching the gang's hard earned victory. His cold, tough face had not expressed even the slightest bit of disappointment.

'Too bad your plan didn't work out,' a voice called out from behind.

Saix winced a little as "Axel" strolled casually atop the roof towards him.

'No matter,' Saix replied. 'That was, after all, my own little experiment. The Organization's overarching plan remains unchanged.'

'Why did you rejoin the Nobodies, Saix?' "Axel" asked. 'You once said that all you wanted was a heart. You got it back, didn't you?'

'That is none of your concern,' Saix said as he conjured up another dark portal.

'Do you know why I always use this form against you?' "Axel" asked.

Saix stopped in his tracks just before entering the portal.

'Because it is only to Axel that you betray that cold persona of yours,' Ienzo's voice took over and a mirage of Ienzo appeared beside "Axel". 'I don't think you're as heartless as you try to make yourself out to be.'

Saix wavered for a moment before walking ahead into the dark portal without another word. Ienzo appeared in "Axel's" place and looked on solemnly at the spot where Saix had just disappeared.

…

'Thank you so much for all you've taught me!' Sora almost shouted as he expressed his gratitude towards his friends. They were all gathered at the Headquarters, wishing Sora, Donald and Goofy well as they set out to continue their journey.

'No, thank _you_, Sora,' Leon said. 'For helping us deal with our Heartless situation.'

'Eh, but you guys did most of the work anyway,' Sora said, blushing.

'Well I guess Saix wouldn't have appeared without you as a bait,' Goofy joked.

'Right, right,' Donald nodded.

'Hey! I'm more than just a bait for Organization XIII!' Sora protested to which all the others laughed.

'Come back anytime, Sora,' Yuffie said with a grin. 'You can come here to train, play, eat or whatever you want! The door's always open for you.'

Sora nodded before turning to Noctis and Lightning. 'So are you guys gonna go home now?'

Noctis shook his head. 'Nah, the major Heartlesses may be gone, but there're still more of the minor ones to be cleaned up. I'll go back after that's done.'

Lightning nodded. 'Yeah, my thoughts exactly.'

'You guys are staying!?' Yuffie jumped up and down in excitement. 'Yes! Yes! Yes!'

'For the time being, Yuffie,' Tifa reminded her gently before turning to Cloud, 'Are you going on another journey too, after all this?' she asked warily.

'Yeah, probably after everything's totally cleared up,' Cloud replied. 'Not now.'

'Don't worry, Tifa,' Aerith said, placing one hand on Tifa's shoulder. 'He'll always come back.'

'Yeah,' Tifa smiled as she gripped Aerith's hand.

'Anyway, I guess this is goodbye for now,' Leon said, turning back towards Sora, Donald and Goofy.

Sora nodded. 'See you guys real soon!' he said as he walked out of the door, waving at his friends. Donald and Goofy followed behind him.

As the door closed behind them, Sora let out a deep breath. 'So our journey begins again!' he punched his fists into the air. 'Yeah! I'm all psyched up now that I've learned a whole bunch of new moves.'

'We've been here for barely a few days, but it felt like ages after all those fights,' Donald said as they walked across the town square.

'Makes you tougher, doesn't it?' Goofy chuckled.

'So the King has decided to stay, then…' a voice sounded behind them. Sora, Donald and Goofy jumped up, startled. They turned around and came face to face with a man with red hair, clad in all black. One of the sleeves of his shirt resembled a wing and he also wore a black hat.

'The King!? What do you mean the King!?' Donald immediately demanded.

'So he didn't say…' the man cryptically mused.

'If you've got something to say about the King then say it!' Donald demanded.

'Gawrsh Donald, I don't think he's talking about _our_ King,' Goofy remarked hesitantly.

'Of course not,' the man lamented. 'After all I've done to toughen him up. Bringing him all the way here, away from his friends… he finds yet another group of unworthy companions. Such sentiments aren't befitting of a King.'

'You're talking about… Noctis?' Sora asked. 'What do you mean you brought him here!?'

'The balance between light and darkness is so delicate that a single tip in the scales can cause unprecedented ripples across worlds,' the man sneered. 'And with a world with history as grim as this… far too easy…'

'You caused all those Heartlesses to appear in the first place!' Sora summoned his Keyblade. 'You're the culprit! Saix… he was feeding off your work!'

'Bingo!' the man said, chuckling.

'Who are you!?' Sora demanded as he swung his Keyblade at the mysterious man.

The mysterious man dodged Sora's attack with ease. 'The name's Ardyn Izunia,' he removed his hat and gave an over-the-top bow. 'I suppose we'll meet again at another opportunity, Keyblade wielder.' He replaced his hat and strolled off, disappearing round a corner. Sora, Donald and Goofy tried to give chase but there were no traces of the man left.

'Ardyn… Izunia?' Sora muttered. 'Why do I get the bad feeling that we might really meet him again.'

'When the time comes, we'll teach him a lesson,' Donald growled, his fists clenched.

'Yeah…' Sora said, staring blankly into the alleyway where Ardyn had just disappeared.

'For now, we've still got a mission to accomplish,' Goofy said. 'Let's go!'

Sora's gaze lingered for just a second longer, before he turned back and rushed after his friends to their gummi ship.

…


End file.
